GameDay: Struggling Jaguars welcome Texans

It’s been a struggle the entire year for the Jaguars and offensive coordinator Greg Olson paid the price with his job during the bye two weekends ago. Unfortunately, last week in Kansas City Jacksonville was still bad on offense. Four more turnovers, including RB Chris Ivory coughing it up at the KC one yard line midway through the fourth quarter led to doom at Arrowhead.

The Jags are back at home and here are two things that are musts:

1. Jacksonville must find some consistency on offense and play a “clean game.” Too many turnovers, dropped balls, bad blocks, etc. etc. have dropped them to 2-6. No more excuses. QB Blake Bortles must stop throwing INT’s (he has 10 in 8 games) and the Jags have not been able to run it all with success much of the year, but Chris Ivory had the first 100 yard rush game of the year last week. The hope is that the new play caller, Nate Hackett, sticks with it and it helps the whole offense. If not, it will be another long Sunday in North Florida.

2. Houston has not been very good on the road either, this year. Their three games at New England, Minnesota and Denver have resulted in single digits and losses in all three. Granted those are playoff caliber teams/defenses, but still QB Brock Osweiler wasn’t good in any of those games. The Texans do have weapons with DeAndre Hopkins and rookie Will Fuller on the outside and slashing RB Lamar Miller running it. Will the Jags D stand up and frustrate Housoton like others have? Or will Osweiler and company do what others have done and have their way the Jags. That’s on coach Gus Bradley, and his guys to show up.

Steelers add to Jaguars frustrations with late comeback

Any hope that the Jaguars were going to turn their season around on a November Sunday in North Florida ended abruptly, as Ben Roethlisberger fueled a 16-point second-half comeback and the Steelers handed Jacksonville their sixth straight defeat.

The Jaguars controlled most of the first three quarters, but unfortunately had only three Josh Lambo field goals to show for their excellent play in the first half. And, their 9 – 0 lead going into the 3rd quarter came back to haunt them later on.

Then, when Roethlisberger led the Steelers to another touchdown with under six minutes remaining hitting TE Vance McDonald on an 11-yard score, it wast 16-13.

Once more, Jacksonville’s offense could do nothing and gave the ball back to Pittsburgh for one more opportunity for Roethlisberger to play the hero. He hit Juju Smith Schuster-with a long completion inside the Jacksonville 25 yard line, and then, another pass over the middle Bryant put them down inside the 4-yard line with under :20 to play.

Two plays later Roethlisberger scrambled just into the end zone with only :05 remaining in the game and the comeback was complete.

In stunning the Jaguars and their home fans, Pittsburgh won its six consecutive game. Further, they dealt a likely fatal blow to Jacksonville’s hopes to get into the playoff race, as they now stand at 3-7.

Despite Leonard Fournette having a strong day with almost a hundred yards rushing and the lone touchdown on an “Up and Over” dive in the third quarter, the Jags once again showed that their biggest flaw is: that can’t throw the football with any down-filled success and get quick scores with any regularity.

And unlike 2017 when they’re plodding, run-based offense was effective, time and again, it’s been exposed in 2018 for losses.

With the win the Steelers do get a measure of revenge after being swept last year by Jacksonville including a while 45 – 35 playoff loss in the divisional round at Heinz Field.

We’ve documented the off-season of headaches that included: Ramsey not showing up to OTAs, delaying arriving to training camp by 5 days after the birth of his daughter, and being outspoken in an article on GQ.com criticizing multiple quarterbacks including the Jaguars opponent today, the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger.

And he and former teammate Dante Fowler were both suspended for a week during the preseason for their behavior at a Jags training camp practice, where Fowler was trying to get into a fight with teammate Yannick Ngakoue.

Earlier this week, Coach Doug Marrone took an unusual step for him and actually specifically mentioned Ramsey by name, as having blown a key coverage in the first half on a Colts touchdown pass to tight end Eric Ebron.

Ramsey was a top-10 pick of the Jaguars in 2016 and is in the third year of his four-year rookie deal. So that makes the rumors about a possible trade after the season even juicier, because he’s much more affordable for another team to acquire right now.

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